


Counting Stars

by in2themystic



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians & Related Fandoms - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - No Powers, Christmas, F/M, percabeth
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-01-03
Updated: 2014-12-22
Packaged: 2018-01-07 07:49:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 11,359
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1117358
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/in2themystic/pseuds/in2themystic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Percy feels like he's in a maze - she drives him crazy and he doesn't know whether to run away from his feelings or do something about it.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [maydayparade8123](https://archiveofourown.org/users/maydayparade8123/gifts).



> This is for MaydayParade8123, who has given me great advice and has been such a sweetheart to me. Her writing is amazing and her fics cheer me up when I feel down. Consider this a late Christmas/thank you present!

Percy thinks Christmas is by far his favorite holiday.

Christmas stands for everything Percy believes in: joy, forgiveness, and most of all  _family_.

He enjoys deciding what to get for his family and friends, remembering odd bits of conversation between them that gives him clues about the things they would love.

Plus, there's nothing more fun like the agonized waiting that comes when he sees the brightly wrapped packages under his side of the tree.

This time, though, Percy has a feeling Christmas is going to be different. He isn't sure why he has that nagging feeling; all he knows is that it tugs at him at random moments and won't go away until he washes it down with homemade brownies and milk.

He likes to think, however, that no amount of warning and vague advice would have prepared him for her.

 

**~0~ ~0~ ~0~**

There are twelve days left before Christmas and Percy can't help but think how fitting it is.

He keeps playing "Twelve Days of Christmas" on repeat and it drives his cousin Nico so crazy that he threatens not to give him anything for Christmas. Percy knows he doesn't mean it but it only drives him more determined to play the song whenever possible.

Nico just ends up muttering how one day he'll make him pay and  _what the heck is a partridge in a pear tree anyway?_

A few hours later, Percy gets a call from a frantic Grover. Apparently, his friend Grover went out to buy a Christmas present for Nico but he doesn't have a clue on what to get him. He's stuck there until he gets Nico a present and Percy needs to meet him  _right now_  because he always knows the perfect gift for anyone. They agree to meet in the mall's coffee shop and when Percy arrives, Grover has a scowl in his face and a headache thanks to the never-ending Christmas tunes.

It only takes Percy about five minutes to decide that they need to go to the bookstore for Nico's present.

Grover ends up buying him a Stephen King book because Percy's mom has been pestering Nico about reading more and Percy swears that Nico will dig this stuff. Grover soon caves in and also ends up buying him a Peter Johnson figurine from this Greek mythology series he's obsessed with.

Overall, Percy's proud that his subtle hints have made Grover feel like he actually thought about Nico's gifts.

They're on their way to the door, about to leave, when Percy sees something that has him digging in his heels and skidding to a stop.

Annabeth Chase is standing in the dystopian section, deep in thought as she reads the back cover of the book she's holding.

Annabeth Chase is a sore subject for Percy. He's had a crush on her since forever, when actually it's been about two years.

When Grover looks back and sees where Percy's gaze is directed at, he rolls his eyes and heads over to the arts-and-craft aisle. To say Grover knows about Percy's crush on Annabeth is an understatement. He's been a witness to Percy's staring and idiotness around her so many times that it's no longer amusing.

Percy stays where he is, wondering if he should go up there and strike a conversation with her. It's not like he's never talked to her before. They're somewhat friends and know the basics of each other. Percy wants to be close friends with her, though. And then he wants to be something more than friends. However, he doesn't want to scare her off, so he shoves those thoughts away whenever he sees her.

He forces himself to walk over there, his stomach turning and twisting with each step. She doesn't look up once as he stands next to her.

"My friend recommended this book to me. I'm not so sure about it, though. What do you think?" she asks him, skipping the usual greeting.

She finally looks up to him as she hands him the book she was holding.

He doesn't know what the title of the book means. He doesn't even bother asking if she knows, all he can think about is how he has goosebumps in his arms.

He pretends to read the back cover, furrowing his eyebrows in an attempt to make it look like he's actually interested in the book.

"I think you should give it a try. Who knows, maybe it'll end up being your favorite book? You shouldn't judge a book by its cover, you know," he smiles.

Annabeth takes the book from him and stares at him. She soon shifts her stare to the bag he's tightly holding. "What book did you get?"

Feeling like his heart might burst if he speaks, he digs out the receipt and gives it to her.

"Never would have pegged you for the Stephen King type," she remarks, taking out a pen from her purse.

"It's not for me, it's for a friend," he manages to say.

"Then I strongly recommend this book, I have a feeling you'll like it," she says, bowing her head as she writes on the receipt.

Percy doesn't want to tell her that he's really picky when it comes to books but if Annabeth recommends it, he promises himself that he'll read every word even if it's boring.

"Anyway, I should go. I think I'll end up buying this book after all," she smiles, giving him back the receipt and walking away with a slight wave.

He looks down at the slightly crumpled receipt he's holding in his hand. He tries smoothing down the paper as he reads what she wrote.

**"The Maze Runner"**

**Call me, you idiot.**

**( xxx ) xxx - xxxx**

He has to read it twice and pinch himself to convince himself he's not dreaming. Once he's convinced, he rushes over to where Grover is, thrusting the paper into Grover's face.

"No joke?" Grover asks him after almost eating the paper.

Percy takes a deep breath and shakes his head.

"Well what are you waiting for? Go get the book so you'll have an excuse to actually call her!" Grover exclaims.

Percy rushes to find someone who works here so they can help him find the damn book. During all of this, he keeps his eyes alert. He wonders if he'll see Annabeth or if she's already finished paying. He doesn't see her curly blonde hair anywhere so he tries to swallow his disappointment and assure himself that it's for the best. After all, if he had seen her, he isn't sure what he would have done. He probably would have made an idiot out of himself and made her regret giving him her number.

As soon as he gets home, he ignores everyone and heads to his room. He throws himself to his bed and after changing his position he gets the book out. He doesn't pay much attention to the cover, frankly it's too green and boring. Instead, he heads right to the first page, hoping that this wouldn't turn out to be a ridiculous love story.

He stops reading when it's late at night and the house is finally quiet, signaling that everyone must have gone to sleep. He grabs the candy wrapper that's on his bedside table, sticks it on the page he's currently on, and reluctantly closes the book. He hadn't expected the book to be that good and he fights the urge to just keep reading.

He takes out the receipt, unsure whether to call or not. He knows he should wait a few days just so he doesn't look too eager but he's never been a patient person. Besides, if Annabeth didn't want him to call, she wouldn't have given him her number in the first place, right?

That thought only makes him more nervous.

He doesn't know why he has that number -  _her_  number - in his palm. He feels like asking her but he's afraid he won't like what she'll say. He can't even think about the possibility that maybe she found out about his crush and she's planning on setting him straight once he calls.

(No, that possibility makes his blood run cold and he can't breath quite right. It's better if he just deletes that and pretends like he never thought about it.)

He decides to call her, telling himself that he needs to stop acting like a coward.

He pushes the seven digits with more force than it is necessary and bites his lip when he presses Call.

The short ringing makes him feel like his insides are made of jelly.

"Hello?" a slightly muffled voice answers.

"Uh, hi!" Percy exclaims, the last part coming off as a question.

He inwardly cringes on how his voice was an octave higher.

"Who is this?" the voice asks.

"Um, it's me. My-I'm Percy? We go to the same school? You gave me your number earlier?" Percy stutters, feeling like someone was going to come out underneath his bed and tell him he's been Punk'd.

"Oh, right.  _Right_. Sorry, I didn't recognize your voice for a second," the voice explains.

Of course she didn't recognize his voice. Percy knew that there was no rational reason he should feel embarrassed and a bit hurt, but it still stung.

"It's fine, Annabeth," he tries to assure her.

Percy swears he can faintly hear some type of music playing in the background. "I wasn't expecting you to call today."

He curses himself for calling her today. He knew he should have waited three days.

"Well me neither, but I just wanted to thank you for recommending the book," Percy tries to play it cool.

"Oh it was nothing. I was just doing my duties as an avid reader. I take it you liked it then?" she teases him.

"Yeah, thank you. You were right, it's a good book. Thanks," he repeats.

"You already said that," she reminds him.

"Right," he mutters.

He takes a deep breath and fights off the urge to tell her how great her voice sounds. Knowing his luck, she'll probably think he's trying to have phone sex with her, which he really doesn't want. (Not that he doesn't want to have sex with her - he is a teenage boy after all - but she means more to him than that. He doesn't want to associate her as just a good laid. He wants to refer to her as his girlfriend and find out what makes her laugh and mad. Really, he just wants everything with her.)

Being too immersed with his thoughts, he hadn't realized he had left Annabeth with an awkward silence.

He clears his throat. "So how's your book? Did you end up liking it?"

"I haven't had time to read it," she sighs.

"That sucks," he tries to lament.

"It does! I had to take care of my brothers and they  _finally_  went to bed. I swear, it's like they live to make my life miserable," she rants.

"You have brothers?" he inquires, wanting to know every single thing about her.

"Twins. They're both ten and more annoying than an alarm clock," she says, frustrated.

"What are their names?"

"Bobby and Matthew," she answers.

"I've always wanted a little brother," Percy blurts out.

"Are you an only child?"

"Unfortunately yes," he sighs.

"Well I can assure you you're not missing anything. You get a few years where they're sweet and adorable but they soon become intolerable," she assures him.

"I want that, though. I want to be someone's big brother. I want to embarrass them at every opportunity and be the person they secretly look up to. I don't know, it's always just kinda been my mom and I. I think she misses me, which is ridiculous because I see her everyday, but I think she misses me being her little boy," he admits.

"You really love your mom," she states softly.

"I do, she deserves the whole world for the crap she's been through. She's always been there for me and supported me no matter what. I just…I really love her," he chuckles. "Is that weird? I think it's a bit weird."

"It's not weird," she tells him, hesitating for a moment before rushing out her words, "My mom died when I was young. I don't really remember her that much."

"Are you okay?"

Percy knows that apologizing won't bring her mother back. He finds himself wishing she was right next to him so he could pull her against him and hug her while telling her that he was there for her no matter what. All she had to say was his name and he would be there with his arms open and his heart racing with every breath he took.

"I'm fine. It was a long time ago," she brushes off his concerns.

"I've never met my dad. I don't know if he's alive and I'm not even sure if he knows I exist. If he does, he does a great job in not giving a crap," he mutters, pulling on a loose thread in this pants.

"Are  _you_  okay?"

"I'm fine. It was a long time ago," he quotes her.

He can practically feel her rolling her eyes at him.

"Let's talk about something else," he suggests, not wanting to talk about his father anymore.

"Fine, what do you want to talk about?" she soon gives in.

"What's your favorite movie?" he asks her in a serious tone.

"Seriously?" she laughs.

"What?" Percy asks, not getting why she was laughing at him.

"Only you would have asked such a random question," she smirks.

"Hey, it's a very serious question. Now stop changing the subject and answer my question," he orders in a playful tone.

"I really like the movie Catching Fire," she reveals.

Percy hums, searching for that title in his memory. "Never watched it," he finally says.

"Well it's a sequel, maybe you watched The Hunger Games? That's the first movie," she clarifies.

"Nope," he told her, "Never watched that one also."

"Well we have got to fix that! I can't believe you've never watched those movies, the trilogy is so good," she gushes.

"It's a date then," he yawns.

_Crap._

He sits up straighter and forgets his sleepiness when his brain registers what the heck he just said.

He's thinking if maybe he can somehow blame it on how tired he is when he hears her laughing slightly.

"Alright, just don't forget," she grins, her voice turning a bit cheery.

"I…uh I have to go," he mumbles.

"Okay, I'll talk to you later then," she says, a bit confused at his sudden change of mood.

Percy pretty much hangs up on her without saying goodbye. He knows it's rude but at the moment he doesn't care. He's shocked that she implied - hell her words pretty much screamed it out loud - that she wouldn't be against the idea of going on a date with him. He doesn't know how to respond. He wishes he had a bolder and daring side who could have easily flirted with her and swept her off her feet with just one look.

He hopes he didn't just ruin his chance by hanging up on her.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The boys gang up on Percy and Frank shows his love for the Twilight franchise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know when I'll be able to finish/post Chapter 3 so it might take a while.

 

 

_Eleven days until Christmas_

"I can’t believe you did that. You’re more of an idiot than I thought," his friend Leo tells him.

Percy had just finished describing The Stupidity Act, which is what he named yesterday’s event. 

"She was totally coming on to you and you ruined it by being a paranoid jerk," Leo continues, "I’ll be surprised if she ever wants to talk to you again." 

"Shut up, I already tortured myself enough," Percy groans. 

"Seriously, what were you thinking? Oh scratch that, clearly you _weren’t thinking_ ,” he rolls his brown eyes. 

"Hey, cut him some slack Leo. At least he had the guts to call her. Besides, I don’t remember you acting that differently when you kept trying to ask Calypso out," his other friend Jason defends him. 

"Didn’t Calypso ask _you_ out since you were too chicken shit to do it?” Frank asks, his mouth full of french fries. 

Frank and Leo soon end up in an argument that threatens to turn into a food fight in any second. 

Percy had invited his friends to the local diner for a much needed macho talk. (It certainly wasn’t the equivalent of a girl talk - guys don’t talk after all. They eat while their insults make each other feel a bit better. Definitely macho.)

They ordered enough food to feed a small army and his friends soon ganged up on Percy, sensing something was wrong. Percy had told them everything, starting from seeing Annabeth in the bookstore and ending with The Stupidity Act.

There was something about a thick delicious hamburger that softened your guilty feelings and endless worry.   

"Stop it you guys," Jason orders, "This isn’t helping Percy’s situation at all." 

"He’s right," Grover, who had been quiet all long, speaks up, "We need to help Percy, not fight over something stupid."

"I’m tired of seeing him stalking her, so I guess I’m in," Leo finally sighs.

"I don’t stalk her," Percy tells him, outraged. 

"We don’t care that you have the potential to be the next Edward Cullen. What matters is that you finally ask Annabeth out," Frank points out. 

"Jeez, Twihard much?" Leo mutters. 

"Do I even need to comment on the fact that you know that?" Frank shoots back. 

"I’m not a stalker! Do you guys seriously think that about me?" Percy asks, a bit hurt.

"Well you did seem to know where she was when the student council kids were looking for her," Frank mumbles.

"I just happen to know that she hangs out near the Spanish buildings during lunch. That doesn’t prove anything," he stubbornly says.

"What about the time when we went to the rally and you immediately knew where she was? There were hundreds of kids out there, no way you could have known that unless you stalk her!" Leo argues.

"Her curly blonde hair is easy to spot. Plus, I’m not blind, you know!" Percy rolls his eyes.

Leo opens his mouth but before he can say anything, Jason starts speaking.

"Right now that isn’t the most important thing. You need to correct your mistake and finally ask Annabeth out," Jason reminds him.

Grover nods along, biting into his burrito.

Percy bites his lip. “How do I do that?”

"You can start by apologizing," Grover swallows.

"Yeah, just send her a text telling her you’re sorry about yesterday but you had to do something," Jason shrugs.

"That’s all?" Percy wonders.

"That’s just the beginning," Jason explains, "After she responds ask her to meet you somewhere - preferably at a place with food - because you want to make it up to her and then once you guys are there and having fun, you man up and ask her out in a real date."

"Are you sure that’s going to work?" Percy was having a hard time hiding his skepticism. 

Jason smiles. “It worked for me and now Piper and I are together.”

"Calm down, Mr. Hot Shot," Leo scoffs.

Jason keeps quiet, his blue eyes fixed on Percy.

"I guess," Percy hesitates.

"I asked out Juniper when we were listening to Mariah Carey," Grover shares, a soft expression on his face.

"You guys were clearly made for each other though. You knew she liked you and vice versa. I, on the other hand, had to fight tooth and nail for Calypso. It’s so not cool when the girl you like is extremely awesome, there’s always the possibility that another guy can come sweeping in and try to steal her away," Leo admits, tapping his fingertips against the edge of the table.

"You think _you_ had it tough?” Frank snorts. “Hazel is super close to this guy named Sam. The whole time she kept giving me mixed signals! One day she would pay close attention to me and laugh at my jokes, the next she would be blushing and smiling to whatever _Sammy_ said. I got so irritated that I ranted to her about it and just ended up kissing her. That was definitely not how I imagined our first kiss would be like.”

Percy drinks his water, overwhelmed that they were sharing all of this and not knowing how to respond.

He never knew the exact details about how they asked their girlfriends out. He didn’t ask so they didn’t bother telling him. Besides it wasn’t really in their nature to endlessly talk about these things. Leo was the only one who was perfectly fine in informing his friends all about his love life. But the fact that they were openly discussing this without Percy asking them to, meant a lot to him.

"What we’re trying to say is that we all asked out girls in different ways. Technically, there’s no wrong way to ask a girl out as long as your intentions are good," Grover adds, crumpling up his burrito wrapper. 

"I’ll keep that in mind," Percy promises, grateful for their help.

That ends their talk about feelings and girls, their conversation soon turns to the topics of sports and uncompleted homework. They spend the time catching up and savoring every bite of their desserts. 

Percy heads back home, shaking his head when they ask him if he wants to join them. They plan to go watch the new comedy movie that looks promising and they invite him to go with them. Percy refuses, however, he just wants to go home and relax. 

When he enters his living room and flops on top of the sofa, he’s not surprised to see his cousin Nico sitting in front of the other couch, feet tucked in as he watches Breaking Bad.

"Hey, how was the gang?" Nico asks him, glancing at him before turning his attention back to the screen.

"They gave me some advice," Percy says vaguely, scratching his arm.

Nico turns around, giving Percy his full attention. He stares at him with a strange look on his face that makes Percy get a bad feeling. “Listen, if you ever want some tips, feel free to ask me. I may not have Jason’s looks but I do have a bit of experience,” Nico says awkwardly, determinedly looking down at his blue socks.

Percy stares at his younger cousin in mortification. He considers the possibility of suffocating himself with a pillow to escape this embarrassment.

"Do all of you think I’m some type of stupid coward that can’t ask a girl out?" he wonders, horrified at the sudden realization.

"Well you haven’t made a move on her during the two years that you’ve liked her," Nico trails off, his ears turning a bit red in sympathy.

"I wanted to make sure that I actually liked her. I wasn’t going to ask her out and then break up with her a few days later," Percy glares.

"And it took you two years to realize that?" Nico raises an eyebrow.

"Annabeth can be a bit intimidating," he unwillingly admits.  

"You mean you want to piss your pants anytime you talk to her," Nico smirks. 

"What is it to you anyway?"

"I just don’t want you to give the family a bad reputation, might scare off some people," Nico tells him, a wry smile on his lips.

"We don’t even have the same last name," Percy rolls his eyes.

"Yeah about that, I’m thinking of changing my last name. I will no longer be Nico di Angelo, from this day forward I shall be Nico Jackson," he declares.

"You’re full of it," he groans slightly.

Nico snorts, ignoring him and paying attention to the screen again.

Percy stands up and leaves for his room, leaving Nico alone with his madness. He sits on his bed and takes his phone out of his pocket.

He’s not sure how he’s going to do it but he’s so fed up - all the constant sympathetic looks have got him on a bad mood - that he just wants to get this over with.

Bouncing his leg up and down, he sends a text to Annabeth.

**To: Annabeth  From: Percy  6:36 PM**

**are u still up for thg marathon**

A small _ping_ appears a few seconds later, alerting him of her reply.

**To: Percy  From: Annabeth  6:36 PM**

**you sure you can handle it?**

Percy slightly smiles, glad that she doesn’t seem mad about yesterday.

**To: Annabeth  From: Percy  6:37 PM**

**i have popcorn and homemade cookies**

**To: Percy  From: Annabeth  6:38 PM**

**get a box of tissues ready and I’m in.**

He does a silent fist pump, relieved at how easily she accepted.

**To: Annabeth  From: Percy  6:39 PM**

**awesome tomorrow then around 1 pm my place**

**To: Percy  From: Annabeth  6:40 PM**

**uh sure. I’ll bring the movies then!**

Percy texts her his address, writing down the directions with as much details as possible. 

He can’t stop smiling the whole time. He knows he didn’t exactly ask her out but that doesn’t stop him from feeling like the king of the world. 

Now he just needs to find a way to kick out Nico from the house for tomorrow.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nico is a buzzkill.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, two things.
> 
> 1.) Sorry this is so late.
> 
> 2.) Thank you to everyone who takes the time to read this silly story. All of you are amazing.

_Ten days until Christmas_

Percy has a bite mark from Nico.

He had kicked out Nico from the apartment and told him to not return until he received a text from him, signaling that it was okay to return.

Nico had only bitten him and glared at him through sleepy eyes.

Percy hates to admit this but he’s used to it. He’s used to Nico biting him at random moments. He’s told Nico that he reminds him of a kitten and has received nasty bites for it. Apparently, Nico doesn’t appreciate being compared to Pusheen the cat.

He winces slightly as he tries to clean up. Annabeth is due to be here any second and he’s having a hard time figuring out what to do.

He’s carefully placing a tray of cookies on the table to cool when he hears a knock on the door.

He has a feeling it’s Annabeth and he starts to panic a bit.

He takes a deep breath and takes off his red reindeer-covered oven mittens. He makes his way to the door and tries to quickly flatten his hair before he opens the door. He does a double-take at the sight of her.

She’s practically swallowed up by her gray pea coat. The only skin visible is her nose, the tip a rosy pink from the cold.

_Pants, boots, mittens, knitted scarf, and a hat?_

Percy thinks it’s a miracle she isn’t suffocating underneath all those layers of clothing.

“Hey there,” he smiles, still a little shocked.

She waves and Percy thinks it’s the most adorable thing he’s ever seen.

He steps aside, letting her inside his home. Closing the door, he turns around just in time to see her taking off her coat, stuffing her mittens and hat inside a pocket.

She’s stretching her fingers and her hair is a little unkempt from her hat; he has to clench his jaw and look away for a while.

“Are those the cookies you promised?” she wonders, her eyes focused on the tray.

“Yeah, come on. I’ll get you a glass of milk,” he clears his throat.

She lays her coat on her chair and watches as he pours her a glass of milk.

“I brought the movies,” she informs him, accepting the drink.

He opens a drawer and grabs a box of tissues, shaking it. “Do you want popcorn or are the cookies enough?”

She takes the tissues from him. “Do _you_ want popcorn? Because the cookies are mine, remember?”

He laughs, reaching for a packet of popcorn.

“So did you make these or was it your mom?” she asks, watching as he cautiously puts the cookies into a plate.

“I made them. My mom’s at work,” he answered.

He takes the plate of cookies to the living room. He already knows she’s right behind with her milk, tissues, and movies.

“So does that mean we’re all alone?” she teases, sitting down on the sofa.

“Yeah, I hope that’s okay?” There’s concern in his voice and he hopes that she doesn’t think he’s trying to take advantage of the situation.

“I guess it’s a good thing, that way she won’t hear your loud sobbing.”

“I’ll keep that in mind when you’re the one that’s sobbing.”

**~0~ ~0~ ~0~**

“Wow,” he says, breathless.

“Yeah,” she agrees.

“Wow, just _wow_ ,” he repeats.

“I take it you liked it then?” she chuckles.

“Best movies ever,” he nods.

The atmosphere was slowly winding down but his heartbeat starts to speed up when he fully realizes that _yeah, he’s completely alone with the girl he likes._

He looks at her and she soon looks back at him, her lips slightly parted. Her eyelashes are still wet from when she rubbed her eyes, trying to force the tears away.

His hand trembles as it moves towards her face. He’s holding his breath when his thumb softly brushes a stray eyelash away from her cheek. He moves his thumb right in front of her lips.

“Make a wish,” he whispers, his voice cracking at the end.

She closes her eyes and blows towards the top of his thumb.

He cups her face as soon as the eyelash is gone and leans forward. Their noses are touching when the doorknob rattles and the door opens loudly.

“I’m sorry Percy, but I can’t stay in Starbucks the whole day,” Nico loudly complains.

Percy drops his hands and sharply moves away from Annabeth, sighing before opening his eyes.

“Hey Nico,” Percy forces out through clenched teeth, glaring at him.

“Hey,” he cheerfully replies, trying to act innocent.

“I-I should probably get going,” Annabeth stutters, not looking at Percy as she gets her coat.

Nico nods at her, grinning. “I’m Nico,” he says, as if that wasn’t obvious.

“Annabeth,” she mumbles, putting her coat on.

Percy opens his mouth, wanting her to look at him at least once.

She hesitates on the doorway before she turns towards him. “This was fun, we should do it again sometime.”

She’s looking at the ground while she speaks but Percy considers this progress.

“Yeah,” he trails off as she leaves.

He looks at the closed door for a few seconds with a wistful expression before he turns to Nico, remembering his anger. He tackles an unsuspecting Nico to the ground and starts yelling at him while they wrestle.

Nico ends up sprawled on top of him, Percy too tired to move from underneath him.

“Why did you have to come here?” he groans.

“I’m sorry. If I knew you were about to get it on, I would have waited outside,” Nico drawls.

Percy flicks his forehead. “You’re such a buzzkill.”

“It’s one of the many skills I take great pride on,” he replies while rubbing his forehead.

Percy watches as Nico gets up and grunts when he does the same.

Nico goes straight to the fridge, searching for something to eat. Percy goes to his room, wanting to escape Nico.

He lays in his bed for a few moments, just staring at the ceiling and hearing the usual ruckus Nico made. He grabs his phone and decides to call Jason.

“Hello?” Jason answers.

“Hey Jason. It’s me, Percy.”

“Oh, hey. What’s up?”

“Not much, Annabeth just left. Not before Nico scared her off, though,” he rolls his eyes.

“What did he do this time?” He sounded amused.

“Annabeth and I were about to kiss when the idiot barged in. Totally killed the mood,” he groans.

“Sorry to hear that, my friend. Better luck next time, right?”

“I doubt they’ll be a next time. She practically ran away from here.”

“Have some patience, Percy. Nico is a lot to take in.”

Percy hums. “Yeah, that’s true.”

“Sorry to interrupt our bromance but I need to pick up Piper from her dance rehearsal. I’ll talk to you later, okay?”

Percy rubs his eye. “Yeah, sure, bye.”

He hangs up and stretches. He goes back to staring at his ceiling and thinking about Annabeth. 


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> All Percy talks about with his friends is Annabeth, apparently.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why do I have to take a month to write a simple one-thousand word chapter? 
> 
> I'm sorry for all the readers out there. I don't know what's wrong with me.

_Nine days until Christmas_

 

“Wait, so Nico barged in just as you were about to kiss her?” Piper asks from the middle of her bed.

Percy nods, carefully throwing Leo the screwdriver. He’s lying next to Piper in her bed and doesn’t want to get up.

“Way to go, Nico,” she laughs.

“You broke the guy code,” Leo mutters absentmindedly, catching the screwdriver with ease.

Piper had called them to her house, ordering them to come help her with her Christmas gift for Jason. Jason was a huge lover of biking but recently his bike had broken, leaving him to use his car for every little trip he had to make. She wanted to give him a brand new bike but first she had to make sense of every part that was sold to her. She wasn’t clueless when it came to building but she lost her patience quickly and more often than not, ended up throwing what she had built rather than finishing it. Either way, it wasn’t necessary to call all three. One Leo Valdez was enough.

Percy guesses that she wanted to grill him about his love life and Nico always ended up wherever Percy was.

“There’s a guy code for that?” Piper wonders, unwrapping a piece of gum and sticking it into her mouth.

Piper and gum were like peanut butter and jelly.

“It’s the number one rule: don’t mess with a dude and his crush,” Leo replies.

Percy accepts the gum that Piper offers him and rolls his eyes. He notices it’s dark purple before he shoves it into his mouth.

“Is there any actual proof of the guy code? Because I would really like a copy,” Nico says.

“It’s common knowledge. Second instinct. You just don’t cockblock,” Leo argues.

Nico frowns at him.

Piper blindly throws Nico a piece of gum. He’s sprawled across the floor and she can barely see him. She misses and Nico has to crawl a bit in order to get it.

“You’re not getting a piece of gum because you hurt Nico’s feelings,” she tells Leo firmly.

“Considering I’m the one that’s doing all the work, I will now be ignoring you guys. Leo out,” he salutes, looking ridiculous as always. He puts on his earphones and turns up the volume to his music.

Nico yawns with his cheek pressed to the cold wooden tiles. He puts his wrapped piece of gum next to him, closing his eyes and planning to ignore them as well.

Percy tugs at the single braid in Piper’s hair. She looks down at him, raising her eyebrow.

“I like your bed. Can I keep it?” he asks, running his hands down the comforter.

“It comes with a Hello Kitty headboard and comforter but sure, I guess.” She sounds amused.

“Girls aren’t the only ones who can like Hello Kitty,” he shoots back, sounding defensive.

She runs her fingers through his hair. “I know,” she says softly.  

“Careful. Jason might start thinking you’re cheating on him with me,” he teases.

She scrunches her nose. “Jason already knows that the only person I would cheat on him with is Johnny Depp and he’s actually okay with that.”

Percy chuckles.

“I’m sorry Percy, but you’re no Johnny Depp,” she continues, not sounding the least bit sorry.

“Don’t worry. I’ve always thought of myself as more like Robert Downey Jr. than anyone,” he assures her.

“Just without the money and fame,” she agrees.

“And the girls,” he adds.

“It doesn’t seem like that’ll be a problem considering you have Annabeth now,” she says, trying not to smile.

“I don’t even know if I have her or not.”

“I wouldn’t worry about it too much. Seems like she likes you back,” she shrugs.

“You don’t know her though. I mean she’s. . . _Annabeth_. I can’t go with guesses, I need facts.”

“You really like her, don’t you?” she asks him.

“Yeah, I do,” he smiles.

Piper chews her gum for a moment. “So when do I get to meet her?”

“Uh never?”

“Oh come on, that’s not fair,” she complains.

“What’s not fair is the amount of embarrassing stories you’ll end up telling her,” he replies.

“She has the right to know that you used to think that gold was worth more than platinum,” she laughs.

“That was one time!” he exclaims. “Besides, Hazel gave me a lecture about that.”

They start to laugh together, remembering how Hazel had reacted.

“You should take Annabeth to my dance recital,” she suggests.

“I don’t know,” he says, unsure of how the event would turn out.

“I promise to go easy on her.” She raises her hands in surrender. “I know Hazel would love to meet her, though.”

He glares at her but he has to give her props for pulling Hazel into the sudden change of topic. She knows that he considers Hazel the little sister he never had.

“Low blow,” he comments.

“You leave me no choice.”

They have a silent blinking contest, neither willing to give in so quickly.

“Fine, I’ll ask her,” he sighs.

She smirks, used to getting her way. “I can’t wait.”

He yawns, stretching a bit on her bed. He really was being serious about keeping her bed; it was more comfortable than his own.

“Hey, when’s your recital anyway?” he asks, his eyes watering from his strong yawn.

She gives him a dry look. “It’s this weekend. I’ll text you a picture of the flyer.”

“Is your dad going to come?” he asks hesitantly. Percy knows that Piper and her dad had a strained relationship. Her dad was a photographer for a popular travel magazine; one time, he spent months in some mountains, sleeping in a tent and missing his daughter’s fourteenth birthday. Piper grew up with a nanny and when asked if she ever blamed her father, she just said that that was his way of dealing with her mother’s death.

“No. Last time I heard he was paying more attention to some sea animals than me,” she tries to smile.

Percy feels uncomfortable, not knowing how to comfort her. The words “I’m sorry” seem a little blank for this situation. He wants to tell her that it’s her father’s loss, that she’s amazing and doesn’t deserve that. Most of all, he wants to tell her that he’s here for her, but he just doesn’t know how to say it. So he settles for tugging her braid a second time and when she looks down at him, she smiles a soft smile, understanding what he’s trying to convey.

Their moment is broken by Nico’s sudden snoring. Percy sits up and Piper gives him one of her many pillows, which he then throws at Nico’s head. His snoring stops for a second before it resumes, louder than before.

“Hey guys, I think I’m finished!” Leo tells them, his earphones unknowingly making his voice louder.

Percy stands up, throwing away his now white, flavorless gum. Looking at Piper’s lips, he has a feeling his lips are now equally as dark as hers. His lips feel gross and his teeth slightly hurt. The aftertaste of gum sucks.

“Good job, Leo. Just for that, I _will_ buy you a Christmas gift,” Piper grins.

“And just for that, you won’t be getting anything for Christmas,” Leo says sarcastically.

“Are we going to have our X-Men marathon or not?” Percy asks, fiddling with some of Piper’s trinkets on her desk.

“Of course we are. We just need to kick out Leo first,” she jokes.

“I see how it is. Just use me for my mechanical skills, why don’t ya?” Leo grumbles.

“Don’t be silly, I don’t just use you for that. You also happen to make really good enchiladas,” she nods seriously.

“Should we wake up Nico?’ Leo asks. He scratches his cheek and scrunches his nose at the same time.

“No!” both Percy and Piper exclaim. Nico being woken up from his nap was something that was better avoided than experienced.

“Let's just go watch the movies,” Piper whispers, widening her eyes a bit.

They leave Nico alone with a cold floor and an empty bedroom.

**~0~ ~0~ ~0~**

It’s about eleven P.M. and Percy has no choice but to stay over in Piper’s house. Leo went home during the second movie of X-Men, saying he had other stuff to do. Nico woke up and left to hang out with his friends, telling him that he was going to be at the cemetery digging up some graves. Percy wasn’t sure whether he wanted to know if he was joking or not. He called his mom to let her know that they weren’t going to be home and she calmed down once he told her that he was at Piper’s. There was a time where she thought that Percy and Piper were going to hook up but that was over when she saw how they treated each other as siblings.  

Percy is alone in the living room, a Smart TV his sole company. Piper is locked in her room, talking to Jason on her phone and doing God knows what.

He’s bored, and the room is too cold. He fidgets on the couch but stops once he almost falls over. The room is starting to make him feel uncomfortable and he’s slightly scared that something is going to pop up any second and kill him.

He feels so _off_ that for a second all he can think about is Annabeth. (Maybe it’s for more than a second, but it’s not like he’s counting or anything.)

_Annabeth_ , he thinks for about the millionth time.

Just saying her name makes him feel all funny inside. He could say her name a billion times, a billion emotions, and his heart would never calm down. His heart would never get used to her.

His feelings for her are almost funny. When he first met her, he hadn’t given her a second thought. During the whole transition of strangers to friends, he always categorized her as just that, a good _friend_. He couldn’t pinpoint the moment he started paying more attention to her. The moment he started to realize that she was amazing and he wouldn’t mind kissing her or even holding her hand. All he remembers is having a whirlwind of emotions inside him, threatening to burst any second. All he remembers is smiling when he thinks of her. His mind is filled with information about her, from the way she laughs to how she always has a comeback loaded and ready.

How does she go unnoticed in the world? How do people go by their days when _Annabeth_ exists? That’s her only description, the only thing that does her justice, her name. And sometimes even that isn’t enough.

_Annabeth Chase_

What does he like about her? Impossible to explain; his thoughts are indivisible and indestructible. Only Percy Jackson can understand his feelings for Annabeth Chase, and sometimes one Percy Jackson is not enough.

He just likes her.

That’s it, really. It’s as simple as that. It’s as complicated as that.

It’s not that she has a pleasant face. It’s not that she’s funny and charming. It’s not that she’s sarcastic and keeps him on his toes. Diminishing her into one word isn’t who she is. She’s more than one word and less than a hundred words. She’s only two words: Annabeth Chase.

It’s 11:25 PM when he makes a choice.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so there's this end note that says that this title is from the song [Counting Stars](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg) by OneRepublic and it keeps moving around to the recent chapter, when it was supposed to stay at the first chapter. What is up with that?


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Percy has a hard time conveying his feelings. Usually when he does, it's in a very awkward foot-in-his-mouth manner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Late as usual.
> 
> Have this hot-off-the-pan, unedited chapter. Hope you enjoy. As always, thank you to those who take the time to read this story.

_Eight days until Christmas_

 

The term "it was raining cats and dogs" was an understatement.

Huge, thick drops of rain splatter across his windbreaker, leaving him shivering and his breath coming out in cold, transparent puffs. He feels like this is a sign; he just isn’t sure if it is a positive one or not. He keeps staring at the dark gray clouds above his head, squinting his eyes and cursing at the drops of rain that fell on his face. He takes a deep breath to calm himself down, loving how the rain smelled and wishing for the millionth time that he was at home instead of here.  

He doesn’t know what he’s doing, only hoping that he doesn’t embarrass himself that much.  Everything is blurring around the edges and his beating heart is the only thing that’s reaching his ears. He thinks he’s about to pass out from the nerves when suddenly he sees her crossing the street towards him. Her hair is blowing in every direction and her hands are holding her umbrella tightly.

Instead of calming him down like usual, seeing her only makes things worse. He wants to cuss and scream at the sky just to have something to distract him from what he’s about to do.

“Hey,” she greets him breathless, oblivious to his conflicting thoughts.

He nods at her. At this point, he’s convinced that if he opens his mouth he might accidentally puke all over her.

“So what are we doing?” she smiles. She stands closer to him and lifts the umbrella higher so it can protect him from the rain too.

He coughs and swallows, only pointing at the diner in front of them.

“Okay,” she raises her eyebrows at him.

He opens the door for her and she closes her umbrella as she enters.

The warm diner shouldn’t make him feel like he’s entering a battlefield. Even though the cheerful chatter and comforting smells would have relaxed him in any other occasion, dread can’t help but make its way into his body.

They sit in a booth, across each other, Annabeth trying to hide her worried glances and Percy trying to hide how worried he was. He stares at her wet umbrella on top of the table and, for that small moment, wishes he was an umbrella instead.

She taps her fingers against the wooden table until she can’t take it any longer. “Are you okay?” she blurts out.

“Um,” he trails off, not knowing how to answer. Luckily the waitress appears, saving him from what would have been an embarrassing answer. The waitress, an older woman named Ella, asks what they would like to drink.

“Hot chocolate, please,” Annabeth answers quietly, staring at the table.

Percy wants to ask if he could have a sip of “Liquid Luck”, but instead he just asks for another hot chocolate with extra marshmallows.

“What’s wrong?” Annabeth questions after Ella leaves.

“Nothing’s _wrong_ ,” he responds slowly, “I’m just not sure whether or not to do something.”

“Is it bad?” she tucks a lock of hair behind her ear.

He scratches his cheek. “It depends?”

“On what?”

He doesn’t respond immediately. Instead, he looks around the diner, noticing the Christmas decorations. “Is that Mariah Carey?” he wonders, shifting his head to the side as if that would make him recognize the song faster.

“On what does it depend on?” she asks again, ready to throw him salt.

He looks at her and the nauseous feeling comes with a vengeance. She’s staring at him expectantly, waiting for an answer he’s hesitant to share. He thinks this whole situation is absolutely ridiculous; he wants to back out and not go through with his plan. However, he knows that if he does not do it, he will regret it. Even just thinking about giving up makes him want to kick himself. Surely, this isn’t too difficult. After all, it wasn’t like he was facing a bloodthirsty hellhound or something as horrifying as that. It still didn’t explain why he was acting like this. He had made a decision and he had to at least try.

He opens his mouth but soon closes it as Ella, their waitress, carefully sets their hot chocolates in front of them.

“Ya’ll ready to order?” Ella asks, pen and pad ready.

Percy stares absentmindedly at the menu, shaking his head along with Annabeth. “We’ll call you once we’re ready,” Annabeth tells her. Ella leaves, checking up on another table.

Percy considers dipping his fingers, then his body, in the burning drink just to avoid the awaiting conversation.

“You call me saying that you have something you need to tell me and then all you do is ignore me,” Annabeth states.

He drags his hand through his hair. “Okay,” he sighs. He shakes his leg, just wanting to get it over with.

“Do you remember when we first met?” he asks her, pushing his hot chocolate to the side.

She looks taken back at the sudden question. “Not really.”

“Yeah, me neither,” he admits.

She laughs, leaning against the booth.

“That’s the thing, though. We know each other for a while and I don’t remember exactly when I met you or the moment when we became friends. Um, I don’t remember all of that,” he explains.

She looks about as confused as he feels.

“I don’t know what I’m doing so sorry if it’s a little confusing,” he apologizes. She smiles at him, slightly laughing.

“What I’m trying to say is that I don’t remember life before you. Okay, well, that’s not _true_ , I do remember life before you. I remember like my ch-childhood and things like that,” he stutters.

“Are you trying to ask me out?” Annabeth asks softly, trying not to smile.

He spreads his hands in front of him.“No! I mean, yes! I am but just hear me out.”

“Okay,” she lifts her hands up in surrender.

“The point is, I...my life isn’t worth remembering without you in it. I’ve had a crush on you for two years and its come to the point where I think of you probably every single second. _I like you._ I like how you get excited over books like if they were worth gold. To you, they probably are. Um, I like how you always get an A in Spanish and I also like how you talk Spanish. I mean, I don’t know. We can probably sit here all day with me rambling on about what I like about you. I just, I like you. There isn’t one single thing I don’t like about you. I...I’m trying to find another word for _like_ so it doesn’t sound too middle school-y. Uh, I _enjoy_ you?” he tells her, scrunching his face at how stupid he sounds.

She laughs loudly, her eyes shining.

“Yeah, I definitely enjoy you,” he chuckles.

She rolls her eyes at him, a small smile in her lips.

“That! Right there! That’s why I like you!” he exclaims, sitting up straight. “I like that I can make you smile and I like how you can make me feel like I’m twelve again. You drive me crazy, in both good and bad ways. You’re...god, you’re just something else. And I’m really lucky to have met you, even though I don’t remember how we met. And I would be very honored if you would go on a date with me. So, um, would you, Annabeth Chase, want to go on a date with me? You don’t have to, by the way, I’ll totally respect it if you only want to be friends,” he rushes out, concern expressed in his features.

“I, Annabeth Chase, would indeed want to go on a date with you, Percy Jackson,” she teases him.

“Really?” he asks, looking at her with wonderment.

“Yes, really,” she laughs.

“Cool,” he nods with a smile, trying to act casual.

“I like you too, by the way. If that wasn’t obvious enough,” she takes a sip of her hot chocolate.

“No, it actually wasn’t obvious,” he shakes his head. “You caused me a lot of sleep, Annabeth.”

“Sorry,” she says, not sounding the least bit remorseful. “I guess I’m lucky you like me then.”

He rolls his eyes, secretly relieved on how it all turned out. “So I guess we order now? Or is there, like, a protocol that I’m not supposed to hang out with you until our _date_?”

Just saying _“our date”_ is enough to make him want to pass out again, this time with excitement. He feels like he’s in a dream.

“Those are weddings, Percy.”

“Oh, so that’s until a few years then.”

“Oh my god, Percy.”

“What? It was a joke.”

He actually wasn’t joking, but that was something Annabeth didn’t have to know for now. 


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> How do you date? ft. Nico's sassy comments.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this chapter was really hard to write. By the way, this is painfully unedited. I literally just finished typing it and had to post it before I lost the nerve. 
> 
> Hope you don't find it ridiculously cheesy. Either way, thank you for reading.

_Seven days until Christmas_

 

“Hey, Mom,” Percy greets her warmly, pecking her on the cheek. 

“About time you wake up,” she remarks, glancing at the digital clock displaying _12:37_. 

He walks over to the fridge, opening the door and searching for something to eat. “I’ve been awake since eight,” he tells her absentmindedly. 

She holds the rim of her cup close to her lips. “Then what have you been doing for four hours?” 

“Reading and. . .other stuff,” he says vaguely. 

“You read now?” she raises an eyebrow. 

“What’s that supposed to mean? I read!” He stops what he’s doing and turns around to look at her.

She’s hiding a smile by drinking her coffee instead. Her hair is in a loose bun, some black strands falling out. Her nails are painted a blood red and as she lifts the cup closer to her mouth, it makes the birthmark in her left cheek stand out. Percy thinks his mom is beautiful, has always been aware of it since a young age. His mother had him when she was twenty-two, drunk in the idea of love and new beginnings. Percy had been her companion ever since he was born and she his. She was his hero, even though most of the time it didn’t seem like it. 

“I didn’t mean anything. It’s just _odd_ that you spent four hours doing something quietly. When you were younger, it was a miracle if you were even quiet for a minute,” she shakes her head. 

“Well you can get your quietness tonight then. I have something to do later,” he mutters. 

“Did you even ask permission to go out tonight?” She sets her cup in the table and crosses her arms. 

“I didn’t think I needed it, considering I’m in winter vacation,” he bites an apple. 

“It doesn’t work that way. You don’t think your mother should know where you are?” she questions. 

Percy knows this sudden turn of conversation can get icy. He needs to thread carefully since any wrong movement can lead him to a week of solitude in his room. 

He swallows. “Of course you should know where I am,” he scoffs.

“Then when were you planning to tell me?” 

He takes that moment to bite a huge chunk of his apple. She gives him a dry look, immediately knowing what he’s trying to do.

“Where’s the coffee?” Nico grumbles, rubbing his eyes as he walks in. His hair is a mess and his cartoon pajamas are rumpled.

“Drinking coffee is bad for you, Nico,” she frowns. 

“Says the one who’s more addicted to coffee than me,” he shoots back, already pouring himself a cup. 

Percy snorts at that comment, agreeing with Nico wholeheartedly. 

“What am I going to do with you two?” she wonders, rolling her eyes. 

“You could start by driving me to the mall today,” Nico suggests. He leans against the counter and stares at them with more liveliness now that he has a steaming mug wrapped around his hands. 

“What do you need to go to the mall for?” Percy asks, watching as his mom pours herself a second cup. 

“There’s this holiday called Christmas coming up, where I guess you have to give presents to people you secretly hate,” Nico tells him. 

“Nico!”

“Sorry Aunt Sally, I was just expressing my admiration for your son’s detective skills. I guess those books have been really paying off,” he takes a sip of his drink.

Percy makes a face at him, one that Nico returns back.

“Get ready and I’ll take you, Nico. But first,” she looks at Percy, “You’re going to tell me where you’re planning to go.” 

“It’s just somewhere, Mom,” he groans. He throws the apple core to the trash. 

“Careful, Aunt Sally. He might be high right now. I’ve heard that’s the new _it_ , or should I say _hit_ ,” Nico comments, chuckling at his joke.

“You would know all about that, wouldn’t you?” Percy questions, wishing he threw the core at Nico’s face instead of the trash.

“Boys,” she warns them. “Percy, you’re going to tell me where you’re going or else you’re simply not going.” 

“Mom!” he complains. “I just have some plans tonight, okay? And they’re really important so you can do the threats another day.” 

“Percy, _where are you going_?” she asks, starting to raise her voice. 

“I don’t know! It’s a _date_ , okay?!” he exclaims. “There, are you happy?” 

She sighs. “Was that really so hard?” she questions.

Percy rolls his eyes. 

“What time are you leaving? Do you know when you’ll be coming back?” 

“No. We agreed to meet up at six,” he mumbles. 

“Oh you’re so coming back at 6:10 then,” Nico throws in. 

Percy flips him off as his mother turns her back to them, setting her cup in the sink. 

“So who’s the lucky girl?” she smiles, looking at him. 

“Not so sure she’s lucky,” Nico mutters. 

“Nico,” she looks at him. 

He raises his hands and finishes his coffee instead. 

“Her name’s Annabeth. Annabeth Chase. She’s in the same grade as me,” Percy describes.

“When do I get to meet her?” 

“Um, I don’t know,” he sighs. “If all goes well, maybe soon?” 

“Okay,” she nods. “She just better be nice.” 

“She is, Mom. She’s _Annabeth_ ,” he defends her.

“Well Nico and I are going to get ready. Do you want anything?” 

“Some money would be nice,” he smiles at her. 

“Not what I meant,” she says, leaving the kitchen. 

“Are you excited?” Nico asks him.

“That you’re going to leave? Yes,” he tells him. 

“Not what I meant,” Nico quotes, also leaving the kitchen. 

Sometimes Percy wonders if Nico was secretly his mom’s son also. They could be so alike that it was scary.

He goes through the mail to kill time, looking at the advertisements until his mom and Nico leave. He decides to go to his room, opening his closet to shift through his clothing. All his clothes seem unflattering and he’s starting to get irritated at his limited options. He ends up texting Grover to come over, hoping he could give him some advice. Fifteen minutes later and Grover is in room, staring at the mess Percy made on his floor.

“What are you so worried about anyway? You’ve gone to dates before,” Grover tells him, picking up clothes from the bed and throwing it on his desk chair.

“Yeah, double dates with Jason and Piper don’t count,” he laughs. 

"They will now,” Grover says. 

“Don’t remind me,” he groans. 

“Hey, everything will be fine. You’ll go to your date with Annabeth and you both will have a great time,” he assures him. 

Percy’s hands were freezing against his face, but it felt refreshing. “Thanks. Hopefully it’ll be true.” 

“Where are you guys going by the way?” Grover takes off his jacket and starts looking through Percy’s clothes, trying to come up with a decent outfit. 

“We’re supposed to meet up at Hades’ Pizzeria.”

“That’s it? Just pizza?” Grover asks, looking at him. He needs a haircut, his brown curls are getting in the way of his eyes. 

“I don’t know,” he sighs. “I’m not good at this whole date-planning.” 

“Let’s hope she’s better at this then.” 

That was exactly what Percy was trying to avoid. He wants to surprise Annabeth and have their date go by smoothly. However, what if he couldn’t fulfill her standards? He knows Annabeth deserves the best and the thought that Annabeth may enjoy one of her past dates more than this one makes him nervous. He’s aware it’s unfair, but he still wishes that she at least has a pleasant time with him. 

“Okay, I think I got it.” Grover holds a black trench coat with a Christmas-styled jumper. 

“I’ll take what I can get.” Percy grabs the clothes and puts it on top of his pillow. 

Grover stares at him with a worried look on his face. “Do you want me to stay with you until it’s time?” 

“Yeah, sure,” he nods. He tosses Grover a video game controller as an invitation. 

They spend the hours playing video games together, accidentally elbowing each other as they each try to win.

 

 **~0~  ~0 ~  ~0~**  

It’s 5:58 when he arrives at Hades’ Pizzeria. He chooses a booth in a corner and waits for her by watching the families around him. She arrives exactly at six, smiling at him when she sees him. Her hair is up in a ponytail, showing her matching earrings and necklace. There’s a hint of eyeliner that makes her eyes pop out and causes his breath to catch. 

 _She’s beautiful_ , he thinks as she sits at the other end of the table. 

“H-hi, you look. . . _wow_ ,” he chuckles. 

“Thanks,” she says, rubbing her palms in her thighs. 

“No, um, thanks for being here. I hope we have a good time,” he admits.

“I know we will,” she smiles softly.

They order a medium pepperoni pizza with hot wings, along with their drinks. There’s a jazz band playing, trying to engage the audience with no success. 

“I finished the book,” he takes a sip of his pink lemonade. 

“Did you like it?” She twirls her straw slowly in her drink. 

“It was really good. I need to get the second book soon,” he admits. 

“ _The Scorch Trials_ ,” she mumbles.

“Yeah, at the end of the book there was a preview for it and it looks intense,” he chuckles. 

"The whole series is intense,” she laughs. 

“Have you finally read your book?” he asks, remembering that taking care of her brothers was preventing her to do so. 

“I finished it, actually. You were right, I’m glad I got the book,” she says. 

Hearing that makes him smile for some unknown reason. 

Their pizza, along with their wings, arrive, reminding him how hungry he is. The wings are spicy enough that he feels like his nose is running and he constantly needs to drink from his lemonade.

“Are you enjoying your winter break?” he asks her, shaking some Parmesan cheese in his pizza slice.

“I am,” she looks down at her slice before smiling at him. 

He thinks his cheeks will probably hurt later from the intense amount of smiling he’s done today.

It’s not until Percy is in his third slice and Annabeth in her second that she brings it up. 

“I can’t stop thinking about what you said,” she admits. 

He immediately knows what she’s talking about, has been waiting for it the whole day. However, he acts confused as if he doesn’t know what she’s talking about.

“You know, that whole talk about how you like me,” she explains in a manner that could be described as _shy_.

“Oh yeah, _that_ ,” he sighs. He scratches his cheek, feeling awkward talking about his feelings. “I meant every word.” 

“I like you,” she blurts out. “ _A lot_ , actually. And hearing you say all of that was kind of a relief. You think _I_ was hard to read? I. . .I don’t know much about guys but I knew you found me somewhat attractive considering we’ve almost kissed before, but I didn’t know the extent of your feelings. I’ve had a crush on you for a while, a few months. I didn’t know that you had one for two _years_ , though. And if you confessed sooner, I don’t know what would have happened but I’m glad you told me now. I like you, Percy, and I look forward to knowing you more.” She raises her glass of coke up and Percy rushes to clink his drink against hers.

He feels out of it, if he’s being honest to himself. He’s out of his element right now, and when that happens, a spontaneous thought always comes to his mind. He gets up, taking off his trench coat and throwing it in his seat. He offers her his hand. A grin appears on his face at the look of confusion in her face. 

“Come on,” he urges her. 

She gets up, a hesitant smile in her face and eyebrows pulled together. He pulls her closer to where the band is playing. She stiffens as soon as realization hits her and she starts to tug at his hand, trying to pull away. He tightens his hold in her hand and moves her in front of him. 

“You wanted to get to know me more,” he reminds her, putting his hand in her waist and moving one of her hands to his shoulder. He clasps his other hand with hers, the whole time smirking.

“Not like this!” she exclaims. Her eyes are darting everywhere, her mouth falling open. “People are staring!”

“Trust me,” he says.

Unsure, her face filled with hesitance, she nods.

That’s all he needs for him to move her. They start slow and a bit awkwardly, but soon they get a hang of it. They move in synchronization, Percy leading Annabeth. She soon relaxes, laughing and smiling.

 

 **~0~  ~0~  ~0~**  

“You’re wild,” she laughs as they stumble out of Hades’ Pizzeria. 

“Yeah, because dancing in a pizzeria is the definition of wild,” he chuckles. 

She laughs loudly this time, throwing her head back. “I had a great time.” 

“I did too.” He reaches for her hand, clasping their fingers together. Her fingers are freezing but they feel good against his. She looks down at their hands and then stares at him, giving him a small smile.

"Come with me to my friend's recital," he blurts out. 

"Friend's? Is that your way of saying it's yours?" she teases.

"No! My friend Piper has this dance recital and she wants you to come with me," he explains.

"Is she the only one that wants me to go?" she raises an eyebrow. 

"I want you there also," he smiles. "I want you to meet my friends."

"Okay," she laughs. 

He steps closer to her until the tips of their shoes bump against each other, moving a strand of hair loose from her ponytail behind her ear. Her smile grows, knowing what he’s trying to do. He breathes out as his hand cups her cheek. His hand is too big, a few of his fingers hold the side of her jaw. He tips her face upwards, and touches his forehead against hers. He closes his eyes and just stands there, loving every second of it, every second with _her_. He moves his face downwards. He should really open his eyes because their noses just bumped but they’re laughing, too caught up with each other. He keeps his eyes closed, his lips locked in a smile, until finally their lips touch. It starts awkward, both of them cringing yet not being able to escape the giddiness. Her lips are warm, makes _him_ feel all warm inside.

"Be my girlfriend," he murmurs so softly that Annabeth barely hears it.

"What?" she asks, not sure if she heard right. 

"Be my girlfriend," he repeats. "I want you to be my girlfriend. Will you?" 

"I don't know," she pretends to think about it.

"Please be my girlfriend, Annabeth Chase. Nothing will make me happier," he confesses in a dramatic voice, pecking her on the lips. 

"I thought I already was," she teases him. "But just to make it clear, yes, I'll be your girlfriend." 

He's laughing at how bizarre it all feels. It's cold, and she's so _close_. He kisses her again just because he can, and that knowledge makes him ridiculously happy. 

In that moment he knows he has nothing to worry about because what they have is beautiful.

**Author's Note:**

> This is kind of a Christmas fic and I know it's late, but I really love Christmas fanfiction so there you go.
> 
> The story title is named after the song ["Counting Stars"](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT_nvWreIhg) by OneRepublic.
> 
> The main point of this fic so far is just about Percy's crush on Annabeth and the development of it. The story will probably end on Christmas. I'm not entirely sure, since I haven't finished this yet.


End file.
